Do you feel like you are living inside of your “comfort zone”?
Do you like it there? It’s your safe space. No need to change anything. If “it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
But….do you want a little more? Do you think about “what if” or “I should” or “some day”?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Some people are perfectly happy living their whole lives inside their comfort zone and everything is just fine. I’ve shared stories before about the difference between my husband and I. He has no desire to step anywhere outside his zone and I’m always doing something “out there”. That’s okay. Sometimes he helps me create a plan of action before I take a leap and sometimes I can get him to eat a salad made out of something other than iceberg lettuce. It’s all good.
We might not step out of our comfort zone because we afraid of what will happen if we take a chance or make a change. We might look silly or be rejected or maybe the grass won’t be greener on the other side. Yes, one or all of those things might happen. But if you never even try and always wonder “what if”…..aren’t regrets even scarier?
Maybe you aren’t afraid of what will happen or what others might think if you step out of the zone. Maybe you are just “waiting for the right time”. Yeah..that’s the ticket. The right time. Guess what? There will never be a perfect time. You’ve got to just do it.
Christine Kane, one of my business coaches, always tells her peeps to take “imperfect action”. That doesn’t mean do something dangerous or without having a plan or doing your research before you take a leap. It means that there will never be a perfect time so just do it NOW! Whatever that IT is for you.
I write and speak about “stepping out of your comfort zone” and “feeling the fear and doing it anyway” because I see so many people that stay stuck or are afraid to take a chance and try something new or do something they want to do but fear holds them back. It makes me CRAZY! What is the worst thing that could happen if you went to the movies by yourself or took an art class or wore red instead of black everyday?
I can say this to you because I have been there and had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach (yup….that’s the fear part) but I DID IT ANYWAY! And you know what….it was okay. Sometimes it was fun. I was able to get up again and speak to a group of people (after I had my panic attack in front of the Junior Leadership students see earlier blog). I make sure I’m prepared and I usually do a a good job and have fun with it (even though I still get that feeling in the pit of my stomach).
Then there was the time last summer when I wanted to try stand up paddle boarding. I was at the beach. There was water and sun involved. I had tried it once before on a lake. No biggie. It was out of my comfort zone because “it’s athletic” and I am by no means a beach baby. I’m 50, I’m chubby and I have to wear my prescription glasses with the groovy rope around my head to keep them from falling off. I did not look as cool as my 16 year old niece or nephew but it was something I wanted to try so I felt the fear and did it anyway!
And guess what happened? I did it! I paddled and stood up. Okay..my sister-in-law and I were put in a remedial group and were last and I fell in and had to be helped out by the instructor..but so what. It was summer, I had my bathing suit on and I had a blast. I can’t wait to try again.
So what’s outside of your comfort zone?
What’s one thing you’ve wanted to try or do differently?
What have you been thinking about doing when the time is right?
There’s a whole big world outside of your comfort zone. Whether you take one small action every day, once a week or once a month, you might feel the fear but it’s so worth it to try. You’ll feel different. You’ll build positive momentum and confidence and then…who knows where you will go! You can totally do this! I believe in you.
If you’re still not sure and would love some help and support check out the upcoming Be Bold~Fest II.
On March 14th I will be showing other women how to start
taking those action steps to living a bolder, bigger life outside of their comfort zone. Click here for all the details and to register.
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